United Rugby Championship Final - Build-up to Leinster v Bulls
Update:
Date: 16:56 BST
Title: Post
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Simon ZeboFormer Munster and Ireland winger on Premier Sports
The weather conditions turn it into a territorial battle and a set-piece battle where I fancy the Bulls.
Update:
Date: 16:55 BST
Title: Post
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Mark StrangeBBC Sport NI at Croke Park
Leo the Lion has just led a thunder clap around Croke Park and the atmosphere is crackling!
The weather certainly hasn't dampened anyone's spirits.
Update:
Date: 16:54 BST
Title: 'Everyone loves to hate Leinster'
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Joe McCarthy says Leinster will be using perceived ill will as fuel in their quest for silverware today.
Leo Cullen's side beat last year's champions Glasgow Warriors 37-19 at Aviva Stadium last week to book their place at Croke Park this evening.
The Irish province have had a point to prove after being stunned at home by Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals as they aim to avoid a fourth consecutive season without a trophy.
"We know everyone loves to hate Leinster. That definitely drives us on," lock McCarthy told RTE after the Glasgow game.
"We've a great fanbase. We don't really care about the outside noise, what you guys [the media] or other people say."
Read more.
Update:
Date: 16:52 BST
Title: Post
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
They must build them differently in Potchefstroom.
RG Snyman and Marcell Coetzee never overlapped at the Bulls but they hail from the same hometown in the north of South Africa.
Coetzee is well known to Irish rugby fans as well, of course, after spending five seasons with Ulster and starts at number eight for the visitors.
Update:
Date: 16:49 BST
Title: Familiar faces
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Two-time World Cup winner RG Snyman won the only club medal of his career when lifting this trophy with Munster two years ago, his association with the Bulls goes all the way back to his teenage years.
The 30-year-old lock, who starts on the bench this evening, represented the Bulls all the way up to Super Rugby level.
Update:
Date: 16:48 BST
Title: Post
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Mark StrangeBBC Sport NI at Croke Park
With just over fifteen minutes until kick off, the heavens have opened here at Croke Park again. It never stopped on the way down today but had cleared up briefly.
However, the grey skies have never gone away and the precipitation is going to play a big part in today's proceedings.
Update:
Date: 16:47 BST
Title: Final times in blue
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
All Black Jordie Barrett's time with Leinster has been short and he'll be out to ensure the ending is sweet this evening.
The centre has frequently been brilliant for Leo Cullen's side but he'll certainly want some silverware to show for his efforts in the northern hemisphere.
Leinster will, of course, miss him next season, although his replacement isn't too bad either given his his All Black team-mate Rieko Ioane will be the next star set for a short stay in Dublin.
Fly-half Ross Byrne, who is on the bench, will also have his final game for Leinster this afternoon, although Cian Healy, their most-capped ever player, is not in the 23.
Update:
Date: 16:46 BST
Title: 'It's like playing a fully international side'
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Bulls head coach Jake White speaking on Premier Sports: "We can't be favourites...we're playing Ireland.
"I hear Luke McGrath is in now, he's got 231 games for Leinster, 19 Test matches. That's not a bad replacement to have when you lose your scrum-half.
"Add Slimani, Barrett and RG, it's like playing a fully international side.
"It goes without saying that they must be favourites to beat a provincial side today."
Update:
Date: 16:38 BST
Title: A reminder of those teams
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
Leinster: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, Ringrose, Barrett, Lowe; Prendergast, McGrath; Porter, Sheehan, Clarkson, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, Van der Flier, Conan (captain)
Replacements: Kelleher, Boyle, Slimani, Snyman, Deegan, Gunne, R Byrne, Osborne.
Bulls: Le Roux; Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk; Goosen, Papier; Wessels, Grobbelaar, Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Van Staden, Nortje (captain), Coetzee.
Replacements: Van der Merwe, Tshakweni, Smith, Kiersten, Carr, Burger, Johannes, Williams.
Update:
Date: 16:34 BST
Title: Big blow for Leinster
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
There's huge news out of the Leinster camp this morning with Jamison Gibson-Park ruled out of this Croke Park contest.
The scrum-half was named to start when the teams were announced on Friday but Luke McGrath will now wear the number nine jersey and Fintan Gunne on the bench.
Gibson-Park joins fellow British and Irish Lions Tadhg Furlong and Hugo Keenan on the sidelines just six days before Andy Farrell's side begin their tour by playing Argentina across the city in the Aviva Stadium.
Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose are back in the starting line-up, though.
We'll bring you those confirmed teams in just a moment.
Update:
Date: 16:30 BST
Title: Here we go!
Content: Leinster v Bulls (17:00 BST)
The United Rugby Championship all comes down to today with Leinster taking on Bulls in the final.
Leo Cullen's side have been the standard-setters all season, topping the table with only two defeats from their 18 regular-season games and then seeing off Scarlets and Glasgow in the play-offs.
Still, though, there's a sense that they've been off their game since their Investec Champions Cup defeat since by Northampton Saints last month.
The Bulls have proven to be tough opposition in the past too - can the Irish province seal a ninth league title this evening?
Stay with us to find out!
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